He Did This For Me . . .

I've read the following scripture a zillion times before

but never together, comparing them to each other.

Let me just say - I'm forever changed by it.

Matthew 27:45-46

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour

darkness came over all the land.

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice,

"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" —which means,

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Romans 8:38-39

For I am convinced that neither death nor life,

neither angels nor demons,

neither the present nor the future,

nor any powers,

neither height nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the love of God

that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Hebrews 13:5
Let your conversation be without covetousness;

and be content with such things as ye have:

for he hath said,

"I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Expect the Test & Dig the Roots

Luke 8:13
The seeds in the gravel are those who hear with enthusiasm,
but the enthusiasm doesn't go very deep.
It's only another fad, and the moment there's trouble it's gone.

How do I begin to be a woman of substance, and let God's word have 100 fold harvest (maximum impact) in my life?

Notes from Beth Moore Simulcast:
1.Treasure the Wonder ~ August 6th post
2.Protect Your Heart ~ August 15th post

3. Expect the Test
When a season of testing exceeds the season of believing, we are headed toward a season of falling.

Trails are of God to make you stand.

Temptations are of Satan to make you fall.

Learn the word and expect the test. You will be tested on what you have learned.

Should memorize these to help pass the test:

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it. 1 Cor. 10:13 (MSG)

And now, God, do it again — bring rains to our drought-stricken lives so those who planted their crops in despair will shout hurrahs at the harvest, so those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing. Psalm 126:5-6 (MSG)

Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm. He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them — Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true. Psalm 105:15-19 (NIV)

I must cooperate with God's word!

4. Dig the Roots
My roots are as deep as I believe my God loves me. Do I really know how much He loves me?

2 Kings 19:29-31 (focus on v.29 & 30)
Year 1 ~ fruit grows by itself
Year 2 ~ fruit springs up from the previous year
Year 3 ~ you better sow some roots
Take root below and bear fruit above


My thoughts as I have pondered these scriptures:
I'm sorry this post took me so long. I really have been thinking about expecting the test and digging roots. It's just that I don't like tests or digging. Sounds like a lot of hard work to me. Tests are why I did not like school and digging is why I don't like to garden. Who ever said "being a Christian" was easy? There are some who think that getting saved makes the rest of life a breeze. Well, I hate to bust anyone's bubble . . . but that just isn’t true. Which brings me back to why this post is so delayed in its arrival. I hate to bust bubbles. Also, I don't want to say anything to prevent someone from coming to know Christ. So before I begin let me just say: He is worth any test you or I may go through and more than worth any digging we may do to bear His fruit in our lives. So don’t let the subject at hand prevent you from trusting in Him with all your heart. I’d rather go through a trial with Him than have good times and be without Him!

Expect the test, to me implies being prepared, rested up, and studied up. I don’t know about you, but if I waited until the night before the test to go over my notes I knew the outcome wasn’t gonna be pretty. The thing is, we’re out of school now, and the tests of life aren’t scheduled, they come without warning. I heard Chuck Swindoll say once, "if you’re not in a trial right now it’s because you’ve just come out of one or your fixing to enter into one."

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:13

I really like how the Message puts it, "roll up your sleeves . . . put your mind in gear . . . don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves . . . let yourself be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life . . . "

Digging, I said earlier was what I don’t like about gardening. I think my husband loves digging (must be a man thing) because every spring he’s out in the back yard with the tiller breaking up the ground. When I think he’s done enough and we should plant, he keeps on tilling, most of the time until dark. And the next day, I think OK lets go plant, and what does he do? Dig some more. He uses that tiller until he can’t walk behind it anymore because he’s up to his knees in that dirt. And I’m usually irritated because I’m impatient. I want to plant it, and it’s always a fun time with the kids. Then I want to sit back, water it, check on its progress, and EAT! But I know that our garden would not be as productive if he had not put the time and sweat into making the soil soft so that the roots could grow deep and find moisture on their own. This year while everyone’s corn was puny and brown because of the drought ours was tall and green. And we did eat. It was a good harvest.

Now that I think about it those trials we go through, are like that tiller digging up the dirt. They make the ground (our heart) soft so that we can grow deep roots. We can pray, "Lord, spare us from pain and suffering." Although I am beginning to believe, that’s not what He would have us pray. Life is gonna be hard whether we want it to be or not. And like it or not tough times really do benefit us far more than the good times do. Most of the time when things are good we are just like the Israelites, we forget our God and think we can handle our own life.

I think since praying for a life of ease is hardly ever answered with a yes I’m gonna change my prayer.

Lord, take my pain and suffering and soften the ground of my heart. Grow deep roots in my life that I can draw strength from You, so when the rain comes and the wind blows I will not be swept away.

Please Continue to Pray for Michael & Family

Please go here ( Beverly's Blog ) for an urgent prayer need.

Protect Your Heart

Luke 8:5, 9 and 12
A farmer went out to sow his seed.
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path;
it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.

His disciples asked him what this parable meant.

Those along the path are the ones who hear,
and then the devil comes and takes away
the word from their hearts,
so that they may not believe and be saved.

How do I begin to be a woman of substance, and let God's word have 100 fold harvest (maximum impact) in my life?

Notes from Beth Moore's simulcast:
1. Treasure the Wonder (His word) ~ August 6th post

2. Protect Your Heart

The devil takes away the word in order that I may not. . . Luke 8:12
BUT Jesus (the word) came in order that I may. . . John 10:10

That is MY WORD and it's not up for grabs!

The time to move on a word is NOW.

My thoughts this week as I've pondered the scripture:

Let me start by saying that my favorite comment all weekend was "That is MY WORD and it is not up for grabs!" Simply because it met me right where I am and where I have been for a while now. I have not always been here. . . instead I allowed the devil to come and steal what was mine. It's sad, I know...but true. I've grown tired of that. It's mine and he can't have it anymore. Did you hear me? MINE!

His word is MINE!
I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. John 17:14
His life is MINE!
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 1 John 5:11
His spirit is MINE!
We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 1 John 4:13
His wisdom is MINE!
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
His promises are MINE!
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:4

His everything is MINE!
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3

I'm sick and tired of the devil taking what is mine. I want to have life and have it abundantly! Therefore, in order to protect my heart I have determined not to be a wimp any longer. I will stand up and claim what is mine.

Another thing that came to mind this week as I pondered ways to protect my heart was the garden that we planted (TWICE) this year. Yes, we had to plant our garden twice. My husband spent the time to till the soil, buy the seeds and plants, and plant them. The children and I helped. It was a good day. We always enjoy spending time together doing our garden. The next day my hubby went out to finish up some things that were left undone the day before. Much to his surprise all of the plants were gone! Our two dogs had hopped the fence around the garden and dug up everything that was visible. The corn seeds were all that was not bothered. . . only because they were still underground and could not be seen yet by our "sweet" dogs.

Before we spent anymore money or time planting, we had to make sure that our fence would protect our garden. We did not want to take the chance of losing everything again, not to mention what my husband would do to my children's dogs. It would not have been a good thing for that to happen again.

How are you protecting your heart? Are you determined not to let the devil steal from you anymore? Is your fence in good shape? Or does it look like this. . .

Ruined! Do your walls need rebuilding? Does the enemy have free access in your life? What are the walls of ruin in your life? Prayerlessness? Lack of discipline? Procrastination? No time with God? Moral compromise? Lust? Jealousy? Pride? Rebellion? Indifference?

What is it going to take to begin the reconstruction? I think time in the word and prayer is where we must start. Remember to treasure the Wonder. Then confront the enemy and tell him to get lost. Get tired of it. Realize that, in Christ, we have won the battle and start acting like it.

It just so happens that my pastor shared how to be prepared to fight the enemy this past Sunday. Our church has started a prayer wall where someone will be praying for our church 24 hours a day. His warning was to be prepared for battle because this is the last thing that the devil wants us to be committed to. He will stop at nothing to prevent us from being a Spirit filled church. The message was taken from Ephesians chapter six.

First, we must understand what God expects. Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Eph 6:10 Notice whose power we are to be strong in? In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37 Time in His word and prayer will definitely teach us whose team we're on. Secondly, we must know our enemy. Pastor says we have 3 enemies. Enemy #1 is self. If we don't submit to God's word we can really get ourselves into a lot of trouble without any help at all from the devil. Enemy #2 is the world system. And enemy #3 is the devil. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 We need to be able to recognize him in order to stand up against him. Thirdly, we need to understand the equipment that we have to fight with. Ephesians 6:14-20 there is the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, prayer, a watchful eye, perseverance, supplication, and bold speech concerning the gospel.

Then the pastor shared this verse. . . Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. (One day) the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. Acts 19:13-16 Then this week I found this verse. . . The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:17-20

So, I leave you with this, the devil knows Jesus, and Paul, but does he know you and me? Is your name written in heaven? Mine is. And I'm going to protect what is mine. It's MINE and he can't have it. With God's healing I'm gonna stick to the task of rebuilding my walls. And He will restore to me the years that the swarming locust have eaten Joel 2:25

As Beth puts it, "Let's make the devil sorry he ever messed with us."

Join me next time with Expect the Test.

Please Pray

Please go here ( Beverly's Blog ) for an urgent prayer need.

Treasure the Wonder

Luke 8:10-11

And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God."

How do I begin to to be a woman of substance, and let God's word have 100 fold harvest (maximum impact) in my life?

Notes from Beth Moore's simulcast:

1. Treasure the Wonder (His word)

We can never get to the bottom of His wonder.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is God breathed and will equip me.

• The same breath that gave Adam life, gives life to me through His word.
• I can be competently-competent . . . right now . . . through His word.
• His word is a now word, yet it is revealed in His timing for His purpose.

My thoughts this week as I've pondered the scripture:

His word is a wonder! It is timeless, without a beginning or an end. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 The word is about God, His character, His life, and His desire to share that life (Jesus) with me . . . you . . . the creator wanting to dwell with the created.

The thought that He wants me to know Him is beyond my comprehension. To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. . . Luke 8:10 I seek Him only because He first sought me. I did not go looking for Him on my own, He drew me to Himself. He is a mystery that I will never get to the bottom of. No matter how long I walk with Him there is more to learn, more to know of His wonder. Everyday, He meets me right where I am. A perfect word for my now. Even when I don't understand the mystery I can trust Him because He is truth, and He is trustworthy. One day there will be no more mysteries . . . His word says so. Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets." Revelation 10:5-7 All will be revealed, and I will worship Him in all His glory.

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Now if God's word is a seed, and I want a 100 fold harvest, I best get busy planting some seed. Seed will not grow unless they are planted. God's word must be planted in my life before I can expect a harvest of any kind. Lately I have been hearing God tell me that one of the best ways to plant His word is to speak His word (out loud). Hearing others speak the word is good . . . but if I want maximum impact I will learn to speak it myself. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10:10 I am saved and I am being saved. The church word for that is sanctification. So, if I am being saved . . . then I must not stop confessing with my mouth His word. I don't know about you, but I got some stuff to be saved from still.

A seed will always produce after it's own kind. Corn will be corn. Okra will be Okra. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Galatians 6:7 God's word will be what God wants it to be in my life. And as A.W. Tozer said, "I want ALL GOD has for me, or I don't want anything to do with religion at all." Therefore I must plant a whole bunch of seed. Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6

Some other things to know about seeds are:

• A seed begins it's growth in secret (underground)
• A seed is powerful. It will push through the dirt to get to the light that gives it life.
• A seed takes time to produce a harvest.
• A seed is persistent. It grows day and night even when I am asleep.
• A seed will stop growing without nourishment. Planting is not enough it must be protected and taken care of until harvest time.

And on that last point I will end because that leads us into the second point that Beth Moore made. So, I will be back next time with #2 Protect your heart.

Treasure the wonder, and may God bless you through His word.

Regina

Wow What A Weekend

Mary ~ Teri ~ Regina ~ Lynn

It was a girls only weekend. No children. No hubbies. Just us, Beth Moore, and last but definitely not least, Jesus. We went to Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Boone, NC to see Beth Moore's simulcast. According to Beth, there were 70,000 worshipers in 715 locations who were eager to hear what God had to say to them. It was awesome! We had such a good time in the Lord, and afterwards great fellowship with each other. God really blessed us with some girl time. It was a weekend that will not be soon forgotten.

This morning I have spent my time reviewing and praying over all that Beth had to share through God's Word. I know it was a word for me, and since our little Tuesday Night Bible Study group is taking a few weeks off before we start our next study, I have decided that I am going to take each point that Beth shared and study them over the next little while. This will be a first for me in two ways. One, I don't think that I've ever heard a message, and then ventured out on my own to see what else God could say to me. And second, I am going to try to do this online and share it all with you who read here. It is too good of a word to keep to myself. So I pray that God will bless my time with Him, and give me just the right things to share here with you. Will you pray that with me? And please feel free to share your comments here. I learn so much more through sharing with others and what God is saying to them.

To start I would like to share an outline of the weekend to get you thinking. And then after I have spent some time studying and praying I will share each point in detail. So here goes, may the Lord bless it.

Luke 8:1-15 ( click the reference and take the time to read )

1oo Fold Harvest ~ Maximum Impact ~ A Woman of Substance

1. Treasure The Wonder
2. Protect My Heart
3. Expect The Test
4. Dig The Roots
5. Stop The Choke
6. Retain The Word
7. Press Forth To My 100 Fold

I'll be back next time with Treasure The Wonder. See you then!

Love you in Christ,
Regina